A Bay Area native, Irene grew up in Richmond, California. She attended U.C. Davis – the school both her brother and sister also attended. In fact, her sister is a veterinarian! Irene graduated with a degree in English and started her career as an administrative assistant. After awhile she realized her passion was animals and she decided to pursue a career in the veterinary field. She found a job working at a small animal clinic in Richmond. This started her on her path towards BRVC. On how she discovered us, Irene said:

“In the summer of 2011, I moved to Martinez. At that point, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to find a job at a larger, more advanced clinic where I could expand my knowledge and grow as a technician. My sister, Kathleen, was attending Vet school at UC Davis at the time, and had taken a class with Dr. Delano. She recommended that I apply at BRVC, because it was exactly the kind of hospital that was large enough and was staffed with both great doctors and great staff--exactly the kind of place where I could grow to be the technician I wanted to become. That is precisely what it turned out to be.”

Irene started at BRVC as an Exam Room Technician. An ERT is the person who helps room our clients and patients, takes the weight and temp and informs the doctor that their appointment is ready to be seen. Her goal was to work as veterinary technician and she was determined to reach it.

“I expressed my great interest in becoming a technician in treatment by communicating that to every technician I came into contact with as well as my coordinators. Any free time that I had, was spent offering to provide assistance in treatment whenever it was needed so I could get more familiar with the medicine and practices of BRVC. Within 3 months, I was being scheduled to work as a technician assistant. For the first year I worked at BRVC, I worked ERT, Pharmacy, well as tech assistant and outpatient shifts.”

Her determination and versatility helped Irene reach her goal. She is now a Registered Veterinary Technician and part of our Patient Care team looking after our critical and hospitalized patients. She lives with her boyfriend Eric and her two “amazingly perfect cats” Buffy and Dexter as well as her boyfriend’s kitty Champ and his Jack Russell mix Cali. In her spare time you can find her reading, cuddling with her cats and watching horror movies form the 70s and 80s – especially the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre!

What her coworkers have to say…

"When a dog or cat is a left in our care and hospitalized it can be a stressful experience for them. They are away from their family, left in a strange place with strange people. Some of our patients handle this very well, especially our frequent flyers, because they have come to know and trust us. Others are just downright terrified, they have no idea why they are here or why their family left them here. We rely very heavily on our compassionate, caring staff to help them through their hospitalization. No one exemplifies this more than Irene. Irene is one of our senior Patient Care Technicians, meaning she cares for our hospitalized patients, and she takes that responsibility very seriously.

The amount of passion she shows for her job and department is indescribable. Every morning when I enter Patient Care and see that Irene is caring for our patients that day I have no doubt that they are receiving amazing care. The amount of compassion she has for her patients shows in every action, be it from administering meds, to changing soiled bedding, she always takes a second to talk to them and give them a bit of love."

“Irene is one of my most trusted patient care technicians. She shows an amazing amount of compassion for those critically sick patients on her watch and is therefore able to provide them with unmatched nursing care. I rely on her honest input to help make important medical decisions for the sickest of patients. It has been a true privilege to watch her grow and learn at BRVC.”

“I truly enjoy working with Irene. She is incredibly compassionate and displays a consistent level of hard work and dedication to her patients. She is always going above and beyond for her patients and keeps the department running efficiently. She gets to know her patients really well and is in tune with even the slightest changes in their condition. She excels at communication with the doctors and the rest of the staff- keeping them up to date on the status of her patients. Plus, she is just super fun to work with and has a great sense of humor!”

- Reina L., Technician

“She is the most dedicated, heartfelt technician I know. She practices the highest quality of care for every patient, because she treats each and every one of them like they were her own pet.

Irene is an ideal shift mate. From the time she walks in the door until she clocks out for the day she gives 110%. There is no one I would trust more than her to care for my own animals if they were hospitalized. Nothing gets missed by her. She is a person that a lot of times will ask the doctors if there is something more or different we could be trying to help the patient.”

- Nicole R., Technician

What Irene loves about working at BRVC…

“My favorite part of my job as a Patient Care Technician is the bond that I am able to form with my patients by continuing to work with them through their illness, on a day to day basis. The greatest feeling for me, is working with a critical animal through its suffering, and being there to see it get better. Watching a dog wag its tail for its owner, or a cat snuggle up to its owner, when they are finally able to go home, is an amazing experience. Knowing that I can have a part in making that possible for my patients and their owners is why I love my job so much.

I feel that in working for BRVC, I am able to work with some of the greatest minds in the field. Additionally, we have some amazing resources to provide our patients. As providing quality care to our patients is my primary goal, I think BRVC is an ideal place to do that. I also love the people that I work with and greatly value the friendships I have made in my time here. “

We are truly lucky to have an employee like Irene. She brings dedication, compassion and excellence to every aspect of her job. We are proud to announce Irene as our June Employee of the Month!